Bargain hunting

LITTLE ROCK — Last week, I endorsed a couple of shotguns for hunting ducks, turkeys and small game in Arkansas.

One of those was the CZ-USA Ringneck, a classy, Turkish-made side-by-side available in 12-, 16-, 20- and 28-gauge, as well as .410 caliber. I recently found a Ringneck in 16-gauge on an Internet auction site, for sale by a gun shop in Illinois, for $669, which included shipping and insurance.

That's almost half of the suggested retail, and after thinking it over for a couple of days, I couldn't resist. I had to have it. I submitted the only bid, and it arrived Thursday.

I am impressed and exceedingly pleased with the purchase. Its workmanship is outstanding, as is its styling, heft and swing. It has all the traits of Italian, Belgian, Japanese and Spanish guns that sell for three times that price, but because it's so inexpensive, I'm not hesitant to put it through the rigors of regular field use.

The stock on my gun is made of rather ordinary walnut. It doesn't have much character, and the satin finish is darker than I like. It is just bright enough to catch light in a most pleasing fashion, but not so bright as to be distracting. And, while I place a high premium on gorgeous wood, I won't be distraught if this gun clashes with a stick of barbed wire or some other scratching agent. It's a true field gun, built for that purpose.

I must admit that I found another 16-gauge Ringneck with a premium wood upgrade for about $850. It was a real beauty and I was sorely tempted, but fiscal responsibility steered me to the cheaper gun. I have no regrets, mostly.

The length of pull is 14 1 /4 inches.

Optimum LOP for me is 14 inches, and if I'm wearing a hunting vest, I'll have to throw the gun out as I shoulder it. It's best for a gun to come straight up to the shoulder, but I've gone out and up for so long with so many other guns that it's second nature to me. With 14-inchers, even though they fit, I tend to come back too far and uppercut my chin.

It also has a Prince of Wales grip much like the highly desirable roundknob Brownings of old, as well as fine British doubles.

The action is a regular boxlock, but the receiver has attractive false sideplates like those found on sidelocks. The metal is acid casecolored. Purists will deride this over the traditional charcoal case coloring, but charcoal case coloring is more expensive. The coloring on my gun isvery pretty and consistent, and the contrasts are striking. It has some light, hand-engraved flourishes and rosettes. "Ringneck" is engraved on the receiver bottom in cursive script. Atop the release handle is Huglu's (pronounced Hoo-Loo) distinctive brass eagle medallion. It provides a really nice accent.

The wood-to-metal fit and the metal-to-metal fit are nearly flawless. I found a small burr on top of the receiver, but it took close inspection to find it. The fit is consistent all around, and there are no gaps anywhere.

To my delight, the action locks up by way of a modified Greener crossbolt. It's an incredibly strong action, and a major reason why I am so fond of SKB double-barrels. The barrels also have functional sideclips like those found on fine British doubles. The slots on all the receiver screws are oriented east-west, a sign of careful craftsmanship.

The semi-beavertail forearm has a Schnabel tip that seems to melt into my hand. It flares and then narrows at the receiver like the Model 21 Winchester. It has deep, hand-cut 20 lines-per-inch checkering without a single burr on any of the diamonds.

The pattern on the forearm is in a Flying W pattern that provides a firm handling surface. The 20-LPI checkering on the buttstock covers the sides of the grip. It is both functional and attractive.

The 28-inch barrels are deeply blued and contrast nicely with the receiver. I prefer 26-inch barrels for faster pointing, but the 16-gauge is available only with 28-inchers. Unlike the other Ringnecks in other gauges, which come with screw-in choke tubes, the 16-gauge is available only with fixed improved/modified bores.

I measured them with a micrometer.

The right bore measured 0.663 inches at the muzzle, and the left bore measured 0.073 inches. I was tempted to have a gunsmith retrofit the bores for tubes, but after test firing it withfour different loads, I have decided that it shoots just fine the way it is.

For consistency, I fired all loads from the left barrel. My aimpoint was the center of a trifold piece of cardboard at 10 yards. Most of the quail and pheasants I've killed were within that distance.

The first load was a Federal Heavy Field with 1 1 /8 ounces if No. 7 1 /2 lead.

It threw a nice, wide but very dense pattern that measured 10 1 /8 inches wide and 11 1 /2 inches deep. There were no gaps in the pattern, but there was a large hole in the upper right of the pattern where either the wad or a clump of shot penetrated.

The second load was Mirage Dove and Quail loaded with 1 1 /8 ounces of No. 7 1 /2 lead. It threw an even cleaner pattern that measured 12 inches wide and 12 1 /2 inches deep. The pattern wasn't as dense as the Express pattern, but it had no gaps big enough for a bird to fly through. The biggest gap was at the top right of the pattern. It did not leave a large hole in the cardboard.

Both loads struck at the aimpoint.

Both would be excellent for dove, quail, woodcock and snipe.

For pheasants and western grouse, I prefer heavier loads. I tested two.

The first was Remington Express loaded with 1 1 /8 ounces of No. 6 lead.

Its pattern measured 10 3 /4 inches wide and 10 3 /4 inches deep. It had two flyers at the top of the pattern and one to the right. The lethal zone was 8 1 /2 inches deep and 10 3 /4 inches wide. It left a large hole in the upper left of the pattern where either the wad or a clump of shot penetrated.

The last load was a Remington Sportsman loaded with 1 ounce of No. 6 lead. It threw a very tight, verydense pattern measuring 8 /4 inches deep and 9 inches wide. There were four flyers at the bottom of the pattern. The lethal zone measured only 9 inches wide and 7 1 /4 inches deep. It would be fine for a flushing pheasant, but marginal for crossing shots.

All in all, the CZ Ringneck is a versatile, well-made, highperformance side-by-side that will be a pleasure to take afield without the risks inherent to more expensive guns. For a bargain, you can't beat it.

Locally, you can find Ringnecks from about $825 and up at Fort Thompson Sporting Goods and Gander Mountain in every gauge except 16. Those are noncatalog items built for the 2008 SHOT Show and are available only by special order.

Try the 20- or 28-gauge with the 26-inch barrels. You'll love it.